ljubljana

Ljubljana overcompensated for its damp first impression by producing sublime spring weather for us to enjoy on our only full day in the city. We spent the day wandering around the city center with its historic bridges and canals as well as enjoying another informative free tour. After working up an appetite getting to know the history of the city, we decided to sample some of its tasty offerings in the 'Open Kitchen' market. It's a weekly outdoor food court of impeccable quality that takes place in the original central market area of the city designed by beloved Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik, who’s work is ubiquitous throughout the country. Energized, we scrambled up the hill to Ljubljana Castle to check out some impressive views from its elevated position. On this crystal clear day the distant Triglav mountain — the highest peak in the country and very much a national symbol — was rendered perfectly in our vision, surrounded by a halo of clouds.

Ljubljana has a rich squatting culture. We had the chance to visit a couple of the most prominent squats during our limited time in the city. Pictured here is The Rog: an abandoned bike factory illegally occupied since 2006. It's home to 2 skateparks, a few clubs, cafes, galleries and a social center for disadvantaged populations. Ljubljana’s largest squat, Metelkova, consists of a grouping of illegally occupied buildings that were once the housing complex of an army base. The base was abandoned shortly after Yugoslavia crumbled (Slovenia happened to make it out of the conflict relatively unscathed; the countries to the south hosted most of the fighting) and, fearing that it would be transformed into some commercial property, Ljubljana activists petitioned that it be used for more creative endeavors. Not able to make any headway legally, artists occupied the buildings illegally and declared Metelkova an autonomous zone in the early 90’s. Now, 25+ years later, the squat is home to a multitude of nightclubs, galleries and alternative events. We were lucky enough to visit Metelkova on a Friday night, which is absolute primetime for subversive activities. We enjoyed a psychedelic rock show in one of the squat’s clubs, while a rowdy punk concert transpired a few doors down. Just over the crumbling, graffiti-clad walls we could see the pristine white cluster of tidy buildings comprising Ljubljana’s Museum District. The juxtaposition of these culture centers, separated only by a small street, was striking to say the least.

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budapest to ljubljana

 

Our frequent European rail journeys have become enjoyable respites from the near constant activity of our touristic daily lives. These isolated patches of relative calm are great opportunities to catch up on reading/writing, research, sketching or just to enjoy a peaceful nap (being rocked back and forth by the gentle sway of the train is a pleasantly hypnotic feeling). The ride from Budapest to our next destination, Ljubljana, was a solid 8 hour span. Endless ribbons of countryside ran past our window, punctuated only by stops in obscure towns that, while the center of countless souls’ lives, will sadly never be of any consequence to us. Obscure sorrows and the desire to intimately know every inch of every small town on earth drifted in and out of mind as we watched the show through rain streaked windows. Ljubljana was gray and wet on our arrival. We ran for cover in our hostel and only dared to venture out again to grab a meal at Slovenska Hiša restaurant. We were very pleasantly surprised by its zestful menu full of modern takes on traditional Slovenian dishes. 

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budapest day 5

 

On our final day in Budapest, Max could no longer hold in all of the inspiration building up. To release the pressure we headed to the famous Filatigrat wall and he painted a piece inspired by the history we had been learning so much about recently. We are frustrated to see many of the same mistakes of the past being remade today, and that is what this particular piece is about. Coincidently, an older gentleman had a workshop behind this wall and came out periodically throughout the day to watch the piece progress. He only spoke Hungarian, and with the help of a younger Hungarian graffiti writer (thanks ONES!), we were able to converse lightly about frustration with today’s political situation in both of our countries (Hungary had just been through an important election days before where PM Viktor Orbán was re-elected. He has made a bad name for himself for corruption and advancing policies that threaten the independence of the judiciary, freedom of expression, and the rights of Roma and Jewish minorities and refugees). Later we toasted over a shot of homemade pálinka, which is essentially fruit brandy native to Hungary. A little something to boost our optimism in trying times perhaps!

 

Later in the evening we enjoyed a chill night in Pest, with the exception of heading over to Buda to get this classic, unobstructed view of the stunning Parliament building. Another European city had captured our hearts forever.  

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budapest day 4

 

Some of the most popular attractions in Budapest are its traditional bath houses. Budapest is conveniently located in an area rich with thermal hot springs; the water from which many believe has healing properties. Széchenyi thermal bath, located in Budapest City Park, is the largest and most famous of these bath houses. Extremely popular with tourists and locals alike, we decided to try to get there as close to its opening time of 6am as possible. Relaxing in the large, hot outdoor bath as the sun rose over the beautiful Baroque Revival building was one of our favorite experiences in Budapest.

Having had great luck with some of the free walking tours in other cities, we decided to take Generation Tours' Communist history tour in Budapest as well despite the fact that it would cover much of the ground that we had already seen in the past few days. Although the tour was focused on the communist history of the city in particular, our guide provided us with plenty of context through the first World War and earlier. Once again, we learned so much through the tour beyond what we were able to gleam from research ourselves. For example, the under-the-surface history of the statue pictured here is extremely controversial. It was erected practically overnight in 2014 and depicts an eagle (Germany) plucking away the innocence of the angel Gabriel (Hungary). It represents the Nazi occupation of Hungary in 1944 and the resulting death of hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews and members of other maligned populations. However, it's seen by many in the community as an attempt to rewrite/falsify history, because what the statue doesn’t mention is that Hungarian state administration was in actuality a faithful ally of Hitler and the Nazi regime at that time. They were welcomed into the country with bouquets rather than bullets and the state enthusiastically and effectively took part in executing the mass deportation of thousands of its own civilians. Basically, Hungary is hardly the victim that the statue portrays, and many Hungarians are unhappy about this less than accurate representation which suggests that the state bears no responsibility for the genocides following the occupation.  A protest to the monument stands just in front of it, pictured here you can see some hanging personal documents of those afflicted by that time's tragedies, strung up next to the Hungarian national flag with it's red, white and green stripes aptly symbolizing blood, honesty, and hope.

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budapest day 3

 

Having checked off some of the must-see sights on the Buda side of the Danube, we decided to walk a circuit of some of the tourist areas on the Pest side. St. Stephen’s Basilica, Parliament, Freedom Square and the Central Market are all within a pleasant walk’s reach from each other. The Basilica and Parliament are both incredibly impressive buildings. For a nominal fee visitors can climb up to the top of the dome on the Basilica and enjoy a nice panoramic view of the city. It’s also home to one of Hungary’s oddest national treasures: The mummified hand of St. Stephen himself (St. Stephen was the first king over a united Hungary around 1000 AD). The Hungarian Parliament is one of the largest Neo-Gothic buildings in the world, and a real treat for the eyes. The only way to see the inside is to book a tour in advance, which we chose not to do. A very interesting fact that we learned later is that each of these two buildings is 96 meters tall, and there is regulation that no other building in Budapest can surpass this height (hence the lack of skyscrapers in the skyline). This is symbolic of the equality of church and state in Hungary. During the communist regime however, a giant star was placed on Parliament, representing the fact that in communism, state, and certain members of it in particular, are 'more equal' than everything else.

 

One of the best views of both sides of Budapest can be found around the Citadella atop Gellert Hill. We ended the day here with a couple of pilsners before heading back to our neighborhood for a relaxed night before another early morning we had planned. 

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budapest day 2

 

Sufficiently recovered from our heavy club night introduction to the city, we were ready to get to know it in a more sober sense with some aggressive sightseeing. We woke up before dawn on our second morning in Budapest and rode the tram across the Danube to watch the sun rise over the city from Castle Hill on the Buda side. The best place to do this is incontestably Fishermen’s Bastion, an ornate kind of panoramic promenade that wraps around Matthias Church and offers some great views of Pest, including the stunning Parliament building. The pristine white-stoned structure and it's seven towers (each symbolizing one of the seven Magyar tribes that originally settled the area in 896) , parapets, and climbing stairways coupled with the orange light of the brand new day made for a fairy-tale like scene which we relished in for quite some time. What did the early bird get this time? No, not the worm… The early bird got to witness this beautiful sight in the peaceful absence of all the other pesky, chattering birds and their elaborate selfie photoshoots. You can take that one to the bank.

 

After checking out the castle area of Buda, including the quite wonderful Hungarian National Gallery art museum, we headed back over to a trendy area in Pest (the former Jewish District) which is home to most of the city’s ruin pubs, along with a bunch of good restaurants, street art, and hip storefronts. The ruin pub culture is an unexpected and enchanting bud growing on the city’s tumultuous history. Oppressive regimes, failing economies, and times of war had left some of the older buildings in the city center ruined and gutted. More recently, entrepreneurial young people cemented a future for these buildings by making them into amazing, garden-style pubs and art centers. The first one ever constructed is also one of the city’s most famous; It’s called Szimpla Kert, and pictured here is the lively scene unfolding during its Sunday farmers market. We love enjoying the fruits of those who have seen opportunity in ruin and made something unique out of it. We recommend doing a self-guided ruin pub crawl to have a beer at as many of them as you can.

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budapest day 1

 

No reason to beat around the bush: This day was a textbook hangover day. Some of the best Chinese takeout food in the city was just a grueling 3 block trek away from us in District VII, so we indulged in that. The rest of the day consisted of couch ridden movie screenings and a bit of eclectic productivity on this or that. On the Chinese takeout treasure hunt we were introduced to some of the large scale murals that have been commissioned in various lots in the neighborhood. Top notch street artists from all around the globe are represented in this concentrated area, so be sure to look up when walking around the central districts of Budapest!

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cesky krumlov to budapest

 
 

Leaving quaint Cesky Krumlov behind (pictured above is the walkway leading out from our hotel), we moved on to Budapest via a full day of bus transit. On the night of our arrival we had planned to go and see the dance music duo Tale of Us at a music venue in town called Akvárium. The club is in a central part of Budapest, built underneath a very lively park which serves as a gathering point for the young people of the city both day and night. Its a fun place to people-watch; slack-liners, skateboarders and revelers of all kinds are always there in great supply. The show was incredible; seeing live music in a foreign country is always an enjoyable way to get acclimated to its attitude and people. We left the show pretty late with a significantly higher BAC than when we arrived, but made it home to our cozy accommodation in once piece.

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cesky krumlov day 2

 

Aside from traipsing around pretending to be some mischievous member of the nobility during the renaissance, Cesky Kumlov offers a great deal more when it comes to passing the time; including some quite interesting museums. Our second, and last, day in town was a bit more of the reserved, chilly kind of early spring day so we decided to hit a few of them. We particularly enjoyed the Museum Fotoatelier Seidel, which has been built in the original home and studio belonging to a few generations of the well-known photographer family Seidel. Josef (father) and Frantisek (son) ended up being quite notable photographers, both locally and internationally, due to their mastery of the technical aspects of the trade and their unmatched collection of photographs that represent a pristine catalog of daily life in this part of the world over the course of more than a century. We also checked out the Egon Schiele Art Museum, where we enjoyed plenty of eye candy including pieces from his body of work as well as some other quite fabulous temporary exhibitions.

 

Speaking of feeling like we were in the middle ages, Krčma v Šatlavské Restaurant was a great place to enjoy dinner not only for the quality of the food but also for its environment; which quite effectively transports customers back a few hundred years or so with its spit-roasted meats and cavernous, candlelit interior. Two more flagons of ale please!

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cesky krumlov day 1

 
 

It's an odd thing to be nostalgic for a city one hasn’t even left yet, but our emotions leaving Prague for a brief interlude in Cesky Krumlov could accurately be described as such. Long story short, Prague is one of those cities that it hurts deeply to leave; that you wake up months and years later longing for out of the blue. Again, there is no time to let these feelings set in, we have had to get used to leaving one enchanting place for the next. 

We arrived in Cesky Krumlov midway through a stunning spring day and wasted no time getting out on foot to see what the place was about. The second largest feudal settlement in the Czech Republic aside from Prague Castle, Cesky Krumlov was an important place of influence for centuries, and has retained potent residual charm from those times passed. The old town is small and easily navigable on foot. The castle complex and surrounding hills provide scenic views of the terra-cotta roofs, church steeples and iconic tower. The castle moat is famous for being home to some bears, though their utility as a method of defense is questionable at best. While wandering throughout the day we had noticed a church perched on a hill in the distance and figured it would probably be a pretty great place to watch the sun set over town. We decided to walk to it, and ended up chewing off quite a bit more hike than we had originally imagined. The aching legs were worth it though as we finally got to enjoy the sun setting over the rolling, unmistakably European countryside from a bench in front of an 18th century church.

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